Sharp County record., 1887-01-27
FOR DECENcYS SAKE

cent Theodore spies mas D6cH 4luOItu-'
postponed on account of Sheriff Matson
positivelv refusing to allow the ceremony
to be performed in the Jail. The parents
OF Miss Van Zandt, after talking the
matter over and consulting WlIh
Captain Black and Sheriff Matsoh'
came to the conclusion yesterday
morning that it would be best 1or
their daughter not to wear orange
blossoms just at present Miss Van AahoI,
however, will be granted the usual PRIV
ileges of the jail, and she will be per-
mitted to see her sweetheart or as much
of him as is visible, through the bars Just
the same as heretofore, Miss Emma Spies
slept with her brothers betrotneu at
the Huron Street House on Tuesday
night. When they awoke yesterday morn
ing they were shocked on reading the
morning papers to learn that SherlH MAJ
son would not allow August and Nina 10
be ioined in the building under his care
Yesterday, though, she learned that the
information was only too true, she
was very much affected Sy the
news and refused to be COM
forted. Her father had gone to his
place of business. At nine o'clock Miss
Suies and her was-to-have-been sister-n-
law got into a coupe and were driven 10
Captain Blacks office on Dearborn street,
They took the captain over to Kinks, and
then they had consultation with Mr., van
Zandt.
All were greatly grieved over the out
come of the matter, and Miss Van Zandts
white face was wet with tears. Her
father urged her to be calm and blde her
time. Captain Black assured her that
there was no law in the State by which
the sheriff could be compelled to admit
her to the jail. Miss Spies had moth
ing to offer. Miss Van Zandt
sobbed that she would go to the
sheriff himself and beseech him to recon-
slider his determination. The efforts OF
the-other three were poWerless for time
in quieting her, but she was finally
soothed by Captain Black
At about eleven o'clock Mr. Van Zardt
leftthe factory and visited Sheriff Matson.
They had long talk over the matter and
the. father went away with the under
standing that for a time he would
cease to think of having the mar
riage performed in the jail. The sheriff
told him his daughter could visit Spies as
often as the regular rules of the jail would
permit. As Mr. Van Zandt turned to go
he remarked, in a relieved tone: "Wen,
it's all over for the present The marriage
has been postponed with the consent Of
my daughter, and all we want now is to be
let alone"
No visitors were allowed in the jail yes
terday morning between the hours Of nine
and ten o'clock, when the Socialistlc lover
and his cOnfreres walk in the corridors
Kalsominers were carrying in buckets Of
colored W ash, and this was ostensibly the
reason for excluding callers, the real rea-
son, as strongly suspected, being to pre-
vent Miss Van Zandt from seeing Spies
The imprisoned bridegroom sent one la
comic sentence hurling through the wire
netting: 'There is nothing for me to say;
our relations are iu st the same, despite
the orders of the sheriff"
Shortly before twelve o'clock Miss Spies
and Miss Van Zandt came into the
Criminal Court building, passed through
thaepu wits~the tiled foo- and were Just
goingTout OF the little door which leads to
the courtyard, on the other side of which
is the jail, when the guard blandly
stopped them. The ladies assumed aston
ishment and said, both together:
"Why, we want to see Mr. Spies"
"You can't see him this morning. said
the suave, but inflexible guard. Again
they calculated in chorus
"Why, we are his relatives" and Miss
Spies said: ~ am his sister," to which
Miss Van Zandt added impressively:
"And / am Miss Van Zandt" with
an open sesame on the ~" which
ought to have started every bolt in the
building, but which did not. They had to
content themselves with an epistle writ
ten in pencil on pad loaned by one Of the
Criminal Court reporters. They left the
following note:
DEAREST AUGUsT-Gretchen and I called to
see you this morning, but the jail was being
cleaned and we were not admitted We will
call again and hope for better success. Yours,
NINA.
THE sHERIFF's POSITION.
Concerning the SpiesVan Zandt mar
riage, Sheriff MatsOn says that he pro
hibits the ceremony simply on the ground
of public decency, because his prisoner is
condemned to hang. Just as soon,
he adds, as the Supreme Court
either by ordering rehearing or by
any other move, makes it probable
that his prisoner will not be executed, he
will withdraw any opposition to the mar
riage in 'murderers row." For the pres
ent however, and so long as there appears
no hope for Spies to escape the hangman's
moose the sheriff announces that he
will prevent ceremony in the Jail
He does this, he says, solely out Of regard
for public policy and with regard simply
for public propriety, just as he would
prevent a marriage at the poor-house
among the inmates there or at the insane
asylum among the inmates there
-4-a-p-----